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Despite Public Opposition, Lena Tam Vows Alameda Will Have License Plate Readers Before She Leaves Office

February 6th, 2014

Dear Editor,

Remember this the next time her name appears on a ballot [like for the BART Board in the upcoming election]

At the Alameda, City Council meeting of Tuesday 4 Feb 2014, at about 10:30 pm during “Council Communications”, Councilwoman Lena Tam announced the results of Alameda’s Public Forum on ALPRs [Automatic License Plate Readers] which took place the previous night in the Alameda Main Library.

She failed to note the substantial public objections raised against the data storage policies proposed or currently in place. She stated the meeting was well-attended & the public appeared “engaged,” and that the Alameda Police Department has the go-ahead to seek federal grant funding for the project.

It is not known if Alameda will be one of the 60 test locations chosen for the nationwide “stop-and-swab” project, funded by an $8 million National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant, in which motorists are pulled over by local uniformed police without probable cause, at a checkpoint and offered $10 if they will allow a data gatherer to take a cheek swab to check for the presence of drugs in their saliva.

Perhaps an Alameda DNA Data Base will be Lena Tam’s Next Big Idea for Enhancing Public Safety.